MYCOTAXON

Volume 110, pp. 225–232 October–December 2009

Two new species of cyphelloid fungi (Basidiomycota)

from China

Yu-Lian Wei* & Wen-Min Qin

weiyulianer@hotmail.com
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shenyang 110016, China

Abstract — Two new species with cyphelloid morphology were reported from China.
Henningsomyces subiculatus is distinguished from other species of Henningsomyces by
having a subiculum. Cyphellopsis changbaiensis, characterized by ferruginous clavate
pilei, a secondary pileus developed from the interior of the primary one and radially
arranged pilei hyphae, resembles C. anomala except for smaller basidiospores and lack
of a subiculum. A diagnostic key to all known species in Cyphellopsis was provided.
Key words — basidiomycete, taxonomy, wood-inhabiting fungi

Introduction
Cyphelloid fungi refer to species that produce cup-, bowl- or tube-shaped
basidiocarps. They belong to the homobasidiomycetes and have been grouped
in the artificial family “Cyphellaceae”, which probably is polyphyletic (Agerer
1986, Bodensteiner et al., 2004, Donk 1951, 1959, 1962, 1971, Singer 1986).
The well known genera of cyphelloid fungi include Amyloflagellula Singer,
Calathella D.A. Reid, Calyptella Quél., Cyphellopsis Donk, Flagelloscypha
Donk, Halocyphina Kohlm. & E. Kohlm., Henningsomyces Kuntze, Lachnella
Fr., Merismodes Earle, Pellidiscus Donk, Phaeocyphellopsis W.B. Cooke,
Phaeosolenia Speg., Plicaturopsis D.A. Reid, Rectipilus Agerer, Stigmatolemma
Kalchbr., Stromatocyphella W.B. Cooke, and Woldmaria W.B. Cooke.
Extensive investigation on Chinese wood-inhabiting fungi has been carried
out and many new species have been described (Cui et al. 2008, Dai & Cui
2005, 2006, Dai et al. 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, Dai & Penttilä 2006, Dai & Wu
2004, Dai & Yang 2008, Li et al. 2007, 2008, Yuan & Dai 2005, 2008). However,
only few cyphelloid fungi have been reported.
During studies on the Chinese wood-inhabiting fungi, some fungi with cup-
or tube-shaped hymenophores were collected, among which two undescribed
species of Henningsomyces and Cyphellopsis were identified, described here as
Henningsomyces subiculatus and Cyphellopsis changbaiensis.
226 ... Wei & Qin

Materials and methods

The microscopic routine used in the study followed Yuan (2009). In the text the
following abbreviations are used: L = mean spore length (arithmetical average
of all spores), W = mean spore width (arithmetical average of all spores), Q =
quotient of the mean spore length and width (L/W ratio). Sections were studied
at magnification up to × 1000 with a Nikon E 80i microscope and phase contrast
illumination. Drawings were made with the aid of a drawing tube.

Taxonomy
Henningsomyces subiculatus Y.L. Wei & W.M. Qin, sp. nov. Fig. 1
MycoBank MB 515095
Carpophorum annuum, facies pororum niveum. Tubulum, up to 300 μm in longitudum,
gregariae; pori rotundi, 100 μm in diam; subiculum praesens. Systema hypharum
monomiticum, hyphae generatoriae fibulatae vel sine fibulis, hyphae trama 2–4.8 µm
in diam, hyphae subiculum 1.9–2.1 µm in diam. Basidiosporae subglobosae, hyalinae,
4.8–5.7 × 4.3–5.1 µm.
Type — China. Guangxi Autonomous Region, Longsheng County, Wenquan Forest
Park, on fallen angiosperm trunk, 9.VIII.2005 Dai 6889 (holotype in IFP).
Etymology — subiculatus (Lat.): referring to the subiculum present in fruitbody.
Fruitbody — Basidiocarps annual, soft when fresh, becoming a little chalky
upon drying, white, no odour or taste when fresh, becoming pinkish buff
after bruised and drying, occupying an area up to 6 cm long and 5 cm wide
on substrate, small tubes densely aggregated. Tubes up to 300 μm long, the
tube opening about 100 μm in diam., dissepiments thick, 30–40 μm. Subiculum
present, brownish when dry, about 100 μm thick.
Hyphal structure — Hyphal system monomitic, hyphae bearing both clamp
connections and simple septa, dextrinoid in Melzer’s reagent and cyanophilous
in Cotton Blue, hyphae broken in 5% KOH.
Subiculum — Hyphae hyaline, smooth, thick-walled with a wide lumen;
bearing clamp connections, rarely branched, interwoven, 1.9–2.1 μm in diam.
Tubes — Hyphae hyaline, smooth, thin-walled; bearing both clamp
connections and simple septa, rarely branched, winding, more or less parallel
along the tubes, 2–4.8 μm in diam. Cystidia absent. Basidia broadly clavate,
with four sterigmata and a basal clamp connection, dissolved in 5% KOH,
10–14 × 7–9.5 μm. Hyphae at tube-mouth (dissepimental edge) finely branched,
dendrohyphidia alike.
Spores — Basidiospores subglobose, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, usually
bearing a guttule, acyanophilous, inamyloid and non-dextrinoid, (3.9–)4.8–
5.7(–6) × (3.9–)4.3–5.1(–5.5) μm, L = 5.17 μm, W = 4.82 μm, Q = 1.07–1.08
(n = 56/2).
 Two new cyphelloids (China) ... 227

Fig. 1. Microscopic structures of Henningsomyces subiculatus (drawn from the holotype).

—a: Basidiospores. —b: Basidia and basidioles. —c: Hyphae from tube-mouth
(dissepimental edge). —d: Hyphae from tube. —e: Hyphae from subiculum.

Additional specimen (paratype) examined — China. Hainan Province, Baoting

County, Qixianling Forest Park, on rotten angiosperm wood, 28.V.2008 Dai 9756 (IFP).
Comments — The presence of a subiculum separates Henningsomyces
subiculatus from other species of the genus (Agerer 1973, Gilbertson et al.
2001).
228 ... Wei & Qin
Two species of Henningsomyces, H. candidus (Pers.) Kuntze and H. leptus Y.L.
Wei & Y.C. Dai, have been previously reported from China (Wei & Dai 2007,
Wei et al. 2007). They have spores similar to those in H. subiculatus. However
besides having the subiculum, H. subiculatus differs from the other two Chinese
species in tube length: the tubes of H. subiculatus are shorter (less than 0.3
mm), while they are 0.5–1 mm long in H. candidus (Breitenbach 1986) and up
to 1.8 mm long in H. leptus (Wei & Dai 2007).

Cyphellopsis changbaiensis Y.L. Wei & W.M. Qin, sp. nov. Fig. 2
MycoBank MB 515096
Carpophorum annuum, facies pororum ferruginum; pori rotundi, 200–400 μm in diam.
Subiculum nullum. Systema hypharum dimiticum, hyphae generatoriae fibulatae, 1.8–2 µm
in diam, hyphae skeletales crassitunicatae, enctrustata, 3–3.8 µm in diam. Basidiosporae
ellipsoideae, hyalinae, crassitunicatae, 5.2–6.2 × 3.5–4.2 µm.
Type — China. Jilin Prov., Antu County, Changbaishan Nature Reserve, on fallen trunk
of Quercus, 15.VII.2007 Dai 8281 (holotype in IFP).
Etymology — changbaiensis: referring to the mountain of Changbai in Jilin Province,
NE China.
Fruitbody — Basidiocarps annual, ferruginous when fresh, effused, forming
an area up to 10 cm across, coriaceus, becoming hard fragile upon drying,
consisting of small crowded ferruginous pilei (tube-alike) which confluent,
pyriform, unceolate, or long clavate, mouths 200–400 μm in diam., tube
margin inrolled, outer surface with radial striae, velutinate. A second pileus
developed from the interior of an older one, the whole length of pilei up to
1 mm. Subiculum absent.
Hyphal structure — Hyphal system dimitic; generative hyphae bearing
clamp connections; all hyphae negative both in Melzer’s reagent and Cotton
Blue; tissues unchanged in KOH.
Tubes — Generative hyphae scanty, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, occasionally
branched, interwoven, 1.8–2 μm; skeletal hyphae dominant, thick-walled with
a narrow lumen to almost solid, red-brown, finely encrusted and hamate,
unbranched, 3–3.8 μm in diam. Cystidia absent. Basidia clavate, with four
sterigmata and a basal clamp connection, 17–24 × 4.8–5.1 μm.
Spores — Basidiospores ellipsoid, hyaline, thick-walled, smooth, slightly
cyanophilous, inamyloid and non-dextrinoid, (5–)5.2–6.2(–6.3) × (3–)3.5–
4.2(–4.3) μm, L = 5.73 μm, W = 3.95 μm, Q = 1.45 (n = 32/1).
Comments — The ferruginous basidiocarps of the new species resemble those
of Cyphellopsis anomala (Pers.) Donk; both species also develop a secondary
pileus from the interior of an older one. However, C. anomala differs from
C. changbaiensis by having larger basidiospores (8–11 × 5–6.5 μm) and a
subiculum (Cunningham 1963).
 Two new cyphelloids (China) ... 229

Fig. 2. Microscopic structures of Cyphellopsis changbaiensis (drawn from the holotype).

—a: Basidiospores. —b: Basidia and basidioles. —c: Hyphae from tube.

Donk based the genus Cyphellopsis on C. anomala (Donk 1931). In addition to

C. changbaiensis and C. anomala, seven other Cyphellopsis species are currently
recognized: C. alboviolascens (Alb. & Schwein.) Donk, C. confusa D.A. Reid,
C. maxima (Massee) Donk, C. mellea (Burt) D.A. Reid, C. monacha (Speg.)
D.A. Reid, C. subglobispora D.A. Reid, and C. volkensii (Henn.) Singer (Donk
1931; Reid 1961, 1963, 1964; Singer 1973). A key to these species is provided
230 ... Wei & Qin
below. [note: The features for C. volkensii (basionym = Cyphella variolosa var.
volkensii Kalchbr. & Henn.) are based primarily the description of Cyphella
variolosa Kalchbr. by Cooke (1962).]

Key to Cyphellopsis species

1. Pilei large, ~12 mm in diam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. maxima
1. Pilei smaller, ≤ 10 mm in diam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Basidiospores colored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Basidiospores hyaline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. Basidiospores at first hyaline, becoming brown (6-8 × 3-3.5 μm) . . . . . . . . C. mellea
3. Basidiospores brown from the first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. volkensii
4. Basidiospore wall thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4. Basidiospore wall relatively thin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5. Pileus disciform or pezizaeform, spore length > 11 μm (12-17 × 9-11μm)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. alboviolascens
5. Pileus pyriform, spore length < 11 μm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
6. Basidiospores oblong-ellipsoid, bigger, (8-11 × 5-6.5 μm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. anomala
6. Basidiospores ellipsoid, smaller (5.2–6.2 × 3.5–4.2 μm) . . . . . . . . . . . C. changbaiensis
7. Basidiospore length > 9 μm (10-13.75 × 5.75-7.2 μm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. monacha
7. Basidiospore length < 9 μm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
8. Pileus cushion-shaped, 1.5-3.5 mm in diam.;
basidiospores 7-8.2 × 2-2.2 μm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. confusa
8. Pileus subglobular or turbinate, 0.15-0.2 mm high, 0.13-0.15 mm wide;
basidiospores 7-8.75 × 5-6.5 μm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. subglobispora

Acknowledgments
We express our gratitude to Drs. Bao-Kai Cui (Beijing Forestry University, China) and
Wjacheslav Spirin (University of Humanities St. Petersburg, Russia) for reviewing the
manuscript. The project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of
China (Project No. 30500003, 30771730).

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